Mark Glover's blog includes reviews of the latest motor vehicles introduced for sale in the United States, his take on various aspects of the auto industry and periodic insights on auto racing at home and abroad.

Friday, July 20, 2012

Ridgeline pickup's appeal crosses life's lines

Sacramento,
California – Being a suburban
dweller, I generally don’t have a lot of use for pickup trucks.

It’s not that I don’t like them. It’s just that I don’t have much need for
them, other than transporting the fresh-cut Christmas tree down from the Sierra Nevada foothills every year, and the occasional
run to the recycle yard. So, no, I don’t
need a driveway-filling, lane-clogging monster truck to make my life better.

But if I was ever in a situation where I was forced to
choose one pickup to be my personal ride, the Honda Ridgeline would be it. Practically sized, nicely styled and easy to
drive, the Ridgeline might be considered pickup truck-lite by construction
workers or ranchers, but it’s just about perfect for a suburban lightweight
like myself.

Yes, I know, these ruthless self evaluations can be ugly,
but consider the charms the Ridgeline offers the spoiled suburbanite.

Which
is to say it looked pretty bad-nasty for a pickup … and that’s bad-nasty in a
good way.

Fuel
mileage was not so hot at 15 miles per gallon in the city and 21 mpg on the
highway, but hey, this is the pickup segment.
Power is provided courtesy of a 3.5-liter V-6 putting out a max 250
horses. It’s quite the stout engine, in
my view.

My
tester was loaded up with plentiful comfort/convenience features, which frankly
surpassed what I expected for a model starting at just a few dollars over
$30,000.

On-road
performance was smooth and surprisingly quiet for a pickup. Unprompted, passengers said they were surprised
at the agility of the vehicle, and a few even suggested that the Ridgeline
Sport had so much to offer that they’d consider buying one. Yeah, high praise, that.

The
rear cargo area is not massive, but it’s capable of doing serious hauling at
49.5 inches wide between the wheel wells, 20.7 inches deep and 60 inches long
with the tailgate closed. That will haul all-terrain vehicles and a bulky
kitchen appliance or two.

All this makes the Ridgeline a specialty player in the
half-ton pickup truck segment, and while it’s not going to be every truck
driver’s cup of tea, it’s a sure bet that this Honda’s DNA will be a perfect
match for a significant group of discriminating pickup purchasers.

Worthy of a test drive?
Yes, no matter if you’re urban, suburban or rural.

Auto Enthusiasts

About

Mark Glover has been a professional journalist for more than 35 years. Since 1984, he has worked for The Sacramento Bee in California's capital city. He was the paper's auto editor from 2000-08, reviewing hundreds of motor vehicles during that time. His reviews currently appear in the Northern & Central California Cruisin' News published monthly out of Folsom, California. He is a director on the board of the California Autombile Museum in Sacramento. A lifelong auto racing fan, Glover has attended the Indianapolis 500 since 1961. He has an extensive Indy 500 collection of programs, tickets and badges.